Association of nitrogen-fixing,plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with kallar grass and rice

Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth (kallar grass) has previously been found to exhibit high rates of nitrogen fixation. A series of experiments to determine the level of biological nitrogen fixation using N isotopic dilution were carried out in nutrient solution and saline soil. These studies indicated an agronomically significant amount of nitrogen being fixed in soil. Kallar grass has a similar growth habitat to rice. Therefore similar studies were carried out with rice after isolating various diazotrophs from the roots which were also screened for their ability to produce auxin (IAA). Five such strains namely Azospirillum lipoferum N-4, Azospirillum brasilense Wb-3, Azoarcus K-1, Pseudomonas 96-51, Zoogloea Ky-1 were selected for inoculating two rice varieties i.e. NIAB-6 and BAS-370 under aseptic laboratory conditions. The nitrogen fixed was quantified using the N isotopic dilution method. Variety BAS-370 had nearly 70% nitrogen derived from atmosphere (Ndfa) when inoculated with Azospirillum N-4. Similar studies with the mixed inoculum using N fertilizer in the micro plots indicated that nearly 29% of plant nitrogen was derived from the atmosphere.     

Modern pollen assemblages from Reasi (Jammu and Kashmir), India: a tool for interpreting fossil pollen records

Twenty five surface samples/moss cushions were collected for palynological analysis from open areas of Reasi District, Jammu and Kashmir (India). These samples were used to investigate the relationships between extant vegetation and modern pollen spectra, which serve as modern analogue for the reliable ecological interpretation of fossil pollen records. The present vegetation in the region comprises tropical dry deciduous forests and subtropical pine forests with scattered stands of oak. The pollen analysis reveals that Pinus sp. (average 69% in the pollen assemblages), amongst the conifers, dominates the pollen rain, which can be attributed to its high pollen productivity and exceptional pollen dispersal efficiency. Cedrus sp. and Podocarpus sp. pollen contribute with an average of 16 and 5% to the total pollen rain. Other conifers such as Picea sp., Abies sp., Juniperus sp. and Tsuga sp., as well as broad-leaved taxa such as Quercus sp., Alnus sp., Betula sp., Carpinus sp., Corylus sp., Juglans sp., Ulmus sp., Salix sp., Elaeocarpus sp., Mallotus sp. and Aesculus sp., have lower averages of 1 to 4.5% in the total pollen rain which could be either due to their poor pollen dispersal efficiency or to the poor preservation in the samples. Tubuliflorae (average 25%), Poaceae (average 6.26%), Cerealia and other crop plants (average 7.68%) are other prominent taxa in the pollen rain. The nearly complete absence of members of tropical dry deciduous forests in the pollen spectra likely is due to the fact that most species in this vegetation type are not wind pollinated.     

Characterization of post-flooding recovery-responsive enzymes in soybean root and hypocotyl

Soybean exhibits markedly reduced growth and yields under flooding stress. To determine the functional roles of four soybean proteins in post-flooding recovery, the organ/stress specificity and time-dependency of their enzymatic activities were analyzed. Peroxidase activity decreased in root and hypocotyl exposed to flooding and cold stresses, but increased during the post-stress recovery period. In contrast, its activity increased in both root and hypocotyl under drought stress. Acid phosphatase activity was suppressed in root treated with flooding and cold stresses, and slightly increased during the recovery period; however, the opposite profile was observed in hypocotyl. In response to drought stress, it did not change in root, but was decreased in hypocotyl. Beta-ketoacyl reductase activity did not change in root under flooding conditions, but was decreased in hypocotyl, although the activity increased slightly during the recovery period. In addition, it was decreased in both organs under drought and cold stresses, but again increased during the recovery period. Nucleotidylyl transferase activity was increased in root under flooding and drought stresses, but was decreased in hypocotyl. It was decreased in response to cold stress, but exhibited a slight increase during the recovery period. Furthermore, the treatment with jasmonate and salicylate suppressed the activities of peroxidase and acid phosphatase in root and hypocotyl under flooding stress; however, the activity of acid phosphatase increased during the recovery period. Nucleotidylyl transferase activity in root was also elevated by treatment with jasmonate, but gradually decreased during the recovery period. These results suggest that jasmonate-induced changes in nucleotidylyl transferase activity may facilitate soybean root recovery after flooding stress.     

Nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding cis-biphenyl dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (bphB) and the expression of an active recombinant His-tagged bphB gene product from a PCB degrading bacterium, Pseudomonas putida OU83

The nucleotide sequence of the bphB gene of Pseudomonas putida strain OU83 was determined. The bphB gene, which encodes cis-biphenyl dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (BDDH), was composed of 834 base pairs with an ATG initiation codon and a TGA termination codon. It can encode a polypeptide of 28.91 kDa, containing 277 amino acids. Promoter-like and ribosome-binding sequences were identified upstream of the bphB gene. The bphB nucleotide sequence was used to produce His-tagged BDDH, in Escherichia coli. The His-tagged BDDH construction, carrying a single 6×His tail on the N-terminal portion, was active. The molecular mass of the native enzyme was 128 kDa and on SDS-PAGE analysis the molecular mass was 31 kDa. This enzyme requires NAD⁺ for its activity and its optimum pH is 8.5. Nucleotide and the deduced amino acid sequence analyses revealed a high degree of homology between the bphB gene from Pseudomonas putida OU83 and the bphB genes from P. cepacia LB400 and P. pseudoalcaligenes KF707.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of 7 alpha-amino-23,24-bisnor-5 alpha-cholan-22-ol derivatives

A series of 7 alpha-aminobisnorsteroids were synthesized and their in vitro antimicrobial activity was evaluated regarding Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The stereoselective reductive amination of 7-ketosteroid 3 with NH(4)OAc, in the presence of NaBH(3)CN, afforded a high yield of 7 alpha-aminosteroid 4. The 3,7-diaminobisnorsteroids were obtained by the reductive amination of 4 with NH(4)OT(f), Boc-spermidine, and Boc-spermine. 3 alpha,7 alpha-Diaminobisnorsterol dihydrochloride 15 showed the highest antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes 308 A with a MIC value of 1.6 microg/mL. Hemolytic activities of the compounds 13-20 were determined. Compound 13 showed MHC value at 100 microg/mL.     

Removal and recovery of Cu(II) and Zn(II) using immobilized Mentha arvensis distillation waste biomass

The potential use of the immobilized Mentha arvensis distillation waste (IMADW) biomass for removal and recovery of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous was evaluated in the present study. Biosorption capacity of Cu(II) and Zn(II) on IMADW increased with increase in pH reaching a maximum at 5 for Cu(II) and 6 for Zn(II). The equilibrium sorption data agreed well with Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model in batch mode. Cu(II) and Zn(II) uptake by IMADW was best described by pseudo-first-order kinetic model in continuous mode. Maximum Cu(II) and Zn(II) uptake by IMADW was 104.48 and 107.75 mg/g, respectively. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were also carried out to investigate functional groups and surface changes of biomass. The results showed that IMADW biomass is a potential biomaterial to remove Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions with a high biosorption capacity from aqueous solutions.     

Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in pseudomonas putida isolates from imported shrimp

Fourteen quinolone-resistant Pseudomonas putida isolates were recovered from imported frozen shrimp sold in the United States. Two isolates harbored plasmids with qnrA and qnrB genes. PCR and DNA sequencing of quinolone resistance-determining regions identified novel substitutions in GyrA (His139→Glu and Thr128→Ala) and GyrB (Thr442→Asn, Gly470→Ala, and Ile487→Pro) and previously reported substitutions in GyrB (Asp489→Glu) and ParC (Thr105→Pro).     

Molecular Characterization of Fecal Microbiota in Patients with Viral Diarrhea

The study provides molecular analyses of fecal microbiota of diarrhea patients infected with four different types of viruses. Fecal specimens from 52 patients with viral diarrhea (13 each of adenovirus, norovirus, rotavirus, and astrovirus) and six healthy individuals were collected and etiological viral agent was confirmed by enzyme immunoassay and specific PCR. To assess the changes in microbial diversity in patients with viral diarrhea, DNA from stool were extracted and characterized by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with universal primers specific for the V3 region of 16S rRNA gene. The strongest bands of the DGGE profiling were excised and sequenced to identify the dominant groups. Bacteroides vulgatus, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus genera were also enumerated by real time PCR. The results revealed that bacterial diversity and similarity in feces from viral diarrhea groups were significantly lower (mean H′/ H _max^￠ H_{ \max }^{\prime } 0.89–0.94, 29–43, respectively) as compared with those of healthy individuals (mean H′/ H _max^￠ H_{ \max }^{\prime } 1.36, 59, respectively). Sequencing of dominant bands affirmed that diarrhea groups were mainly comprised of phylum Firmicutes, such as genera Enterococcus, Peptostreptococcaceae incertae sedi, Streptococcus, Weissella, and Clostridium, and opportunistically pathogenic genus Shigella, while dominant group in healthy individuals was phylum Bacteroidetes. Copy number of Bacteroides vulgatus, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus genera was also reduced significantly in viral diarrhea groups as compared to healthy group. It is concluded that opportunistic pathogens increases, while other species of commensal microbiota decrease significantly in the viral diarrhea patients and dysbacteriosis is dependent on type of virus infection.